One in four women have only ever had one sexual partner, compared with 17 per cent of men, according to the Health Survey for England.

The results suggest British Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, who once claimed to have slept with "no more than 30 women", may have fared better than three men with average romantic conquests.

The data, published by the NHS Information Centre, showed 27 per cent of men claimed the number of their partners had reached double figures while just 13 per cent of women said they had had 10 or more partners of the opposite sex.

The report also showed a continuing trend of a growing number of girls first having sex under the age of 16

More than one in four women aged 16 to 24 first had sex under the age of consent compared with more than one in five men.

Among 55 to 69-year-olds, the figure was much lower with only 15 per cent of men and four per cent of women saying they first had sex under the age of 16.

One in 10 young people said they had had 10 or more sexual partners.

But a quarter of women and a third of men aged 16 to 24 said they had never had sex.

The health survey also found obesity among adults is at its highest level since 1993 while 16 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women had been diagnosed with asthma.